How to Sow Supplements for Lawn

Supplemental seeding is one of the most important parts of maintaining a healthy and lush lawn. Fertilizing the lawn is essential, but the ability of the grass to grow will also slow down after a few years. Over time, the lawn without additional seeding will become thinner and stunted, making it easier for weeds to invade the lawn. Supplemental sowing can be quite time-consuming if you have a large area of lawn. However, this job is not difficult and the results are well worth the effort you put in.

Table of Contents

Clean up the trash and till the ground

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Choose the right time to sow additional seeds. The best time to sow additional seeds is believed to be in September, or at least 6 weeks before temperatures drop to freezing or nighttime frosts appear. ^{[1] X Research Source} If you cannot sow seeds in September, you can do so in early spring.

Grass seeds will grow and germinate well when daytime temperatures reach about 10°C. Seeds will not germinate if frost occurs at night due to low temperatures.
Remember that grass seeds need at least 1-3 weeks to germinate. You should then wait a few more weeks for the seeds to take root before frost arrives.

Weed control. If there are weeds growing on the lawn, you need to spray the herbicide at least 2 weeks before starting to sow the seeds. Choose a large-leaf herbicide with active ingredient 2-4-D, which only kills weeds without harming the grown weeds.

Trim the planted lawn. Trim the grass so that the grass is only about 2.5 – 4 cm high to limit the competition of the growing grass. Trimming also helps keep seeds from getting stuck in the tall grass, and allows sunlight to shine on the young plants that are growing.

Clear away straw and clipped blades of grass. Straw is mostly dead organic matter lying on the ground. ^{[2] X Research Source} You should also clean up freshly cut grass clippings. A layer of straw or grass clippings will prevent weed seeds from germinating, because grass seeds need to be in direct contact with the soil to germinate.

Use a rake to lightly dig up the topsoil. This process is called “straw cleaning.” If you don’t have a special rake, you can use a rake to clear leaves, although it may take a little more work.
You can rent a gasoline-powered straw rake at tool rental services. This way, you will save a lot of time and energy.

Tidy up the soil by appropriate methods, depending on the compaction of the soil. Options for tilling the soil include rotary tiller, aeration, deep tilling or using a straw rake.

Although using a rotary tiller is a common method when sowing seeds for new lawns, it can also be useful when sowing additional seeds. The only difference between plowing before additional seeding and plowing before planting new lawn is depth: additional seeding only requires about 2.5 – 5 cm deep, while planting new lawn requires Dig 10 -15 cm deep.
Aerate the soil with a tiller, being careful not to break the structure below the ground too much. Breaking the soil can damage the growing root structure and give weeds a chance to invade.
If the area to be tilled is too large, consider renting a gas-powered soil aerator.

Prepare the land

Check the pH in the soil . The ideal pH is between 6.0 and 6.8. If you don’t know how to test the pH, you have two options:

You can purchase a pH test kit to test yourself according to the instructions on the package.
You can hire a professional or have your local agricultural department try it for you.
While this step is not necessarily done when planting additional seeds, it can make the difference between being successful on the one hand and laborious and time consuming on the other. You can risk skipping it, but it’s usually fine in the long run.

Add lime to the lawn if needed. Lime will help balance the pH if needed. Carefully follow the instructions on the package to determine the amount of lime to add based on the pH and area of the lawn.

Spread a layer of compost on top of the soil. You should spread a thin layer of fertilizer on the surface of the lawn. The layer of fertilizer will help the seeds germinate and provide more nutrients for the seeds to grow.

Spread a very thin layer of compost over the entire lawn. Better to fertilize with less than in excess. If too much fertilizer is applied, the growing grass will be buried under the fertilizer and die.
Use a rake to spread the compost evenly over the entire grass surface, preferably a specialized rake to rake the straw. Make sure the compost doesn’t cover the tops of the grass. Remember to rake lightly when spreading the compost.

Sowing seeds and nurturing grass seeds

Spread the grass seed evenly over the entire lawn. Use the amount of seeds indicated on the package depending on the area of the lawn. To sow seeds, you can use a rotary seeder or seeder, a manual seeder, or a hand spreader.

Be sure to choose the right grass seed for the type of grass currently growing on the lawn. Bermuda grass is beautiful, but probably not suitable for buffalo tail grass.
It is best to stay away from cheap grass seeds. Remember the saying “You get what you pay for”. If you’re too frugal, your lawn can show it.

Lightly rake the seeded area to help bury the seeds in the ground. Remember that grass seeds that do not come into contact with the soil will not germinate.

Apply a slow-release nitrogen fertilizer. Make sure to use the right fertilizer for the specific condition of the lawn according to the soil sample test results.

Spread a thin layer of compost over the seeds. Use the underside of the rake to pat the fertilizer lightly.

Wet the entire lawn immediately after additional seeding. Continue watering regularly, 3-4 times a day for at least the first few weeks to ensure germination – the key here is to keep the seeds moist. Never let the seeds dry out completely. Once the grass seed has taken root, you can water less.

In the early stages, you should keep the grass seeds moist almost continuously around the clock. This will help the seeds germinate. Once the grass has sprouted, over-watering will actually kill the young grass.

Fast-dissolving nitrogen fertilizer. Use a quick release fertilizer at the rate of about 0.45 kg for an area of about 100 square meters of grass after the grass has germinated for 5 weeks. Six weeks later, apply another layer of quick-release nitrogen fertilizer.

Do not use too much nitrogen fertilizer. Too much nitrogen in the soil can burn newly germinated seeds and young weeds.

Trim the grass when the grass grows to 5-7.5 cm high. Continue mowing so that the grass is only about 5cm tall throughout the season.

Advice

Once the grass seeds have been sown and watered, don’t let them dry out. Newly sown grass seeds need to be kept moist until germination.
Equipment needed to loosen and/or aerate can be rented at hardware stores and equipment rentals.
Do not let people or animals walk on the sown lawn until new grass has sprouted.
Tilling loosens the compacted soil, allowing the soil to absorb oxygen, water, fertilizer, and minerals. However, grass seeds that fall into the air vents will not germinate well, or will not germinate at all.
You can buy a cheap soil test kit or get a free soil test and analysis kit. Contact your local government, horticulture center, university extension services or gardener programs for information about services in your area.
Lawn mowers with vertical blades, also known as seeders, also help loosen the soil by creating vertical grooves that increase the number of grass seeds that come into contact with the soil. When using this type of machine, it is recommended that you run the machine two to three times in different directions to create diagonal cells to increase coverage.

Things you need

Lawnmower
Tiller or aerator if needed
The rake is sure
Soil test kit
Lime
Slow-dissolving nitrogen fertilizer
Nitrogen fertilizer dissolves quickly
Grass seeds
Seeding machine
Garden hose
Straw rake (optional)

Steps

Clean up the trash and till the ground

Prepare the land

Sowing seeds and nurturing grass seeds

Advice

Things you need

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